Envy
by Mandaka
Summary: After tradgically breaking up with her soul mate, Whispersong's envy forces her to break the warrior code, threaten close friends and even attempt murder. Her story is told from the present Dawnclan leader, Dewstar.
1. Chapter 1

Dewstar slinked out of her cozy stone den, and stretched out her spine in the cool shade it gave. The sun was at it's highest in the sky and the birds were chirping from the trees above. A few fluffy clouds floated daintily across the blue sky. Newleaf was always her favorite season; plenty of prey and herbs meant her clan could relax and slacken the amount of hunting patrols. Glancing at the well stocked fresh-kill pile, she knew her clan would have a feast tonight. She trotted her way towards the nursery on the other side of the clearing, and squeezed into a gap in the rock. A chorus of mewling erupted when she entered, and three kits sprang towards her joyfully.  
>"Dewstar!" a white and grey kit exclaimed.<br>"Why are you here? Are we going to be made apprentices?" mewed another ginger kit excitedly.  
>Dewstar chuckled. "You're time to be apprentices will come soon, but not yet, Blazekit." she answered promptly. "I came to check how you're all doing. Where's Deerkit?" she asked, noticing her absence. It was a small dark brown and black tabby that replied.<br>"Deerkit is in the medicine cat den with mama. She was coughing all night."  
>Dewstar nodded. "Smokewing will have her better in no time. You don't need to worry, Arrowkit. He's a great medicine cat." she soothed him gently. Arrowkit returned a smile then curled his tail over his paws.<br>"Dewstar, can you tell us a story again?" asked Blazekit.  
>"Yeah like the one you told us yesterday about that great battle with Slashstar!" a white and grey kit mewed.<br>Dewstar paused for a moment. "Oh alright then, settle down and listen carefully..." she thought hard for a moment, thinking of a story that would interest the kits, but teach them something useful at the same time.  
>"May I come in?" a voice called through the entrance. A small she-cat with grey-blue fur poked her head round the rock. One of her paws was white, and she had beautiful white flecks along her spine.<br>"Sure, Indypaw. I was just about to tell these three a story." Dewstar informed her daughter, turning her head to face her.  
>"Oh, can I listen? I've finished my apprentice duties that you asked me to do." Indypaw replied, stepping into the den and sitting beside Dewstar.<br>"Yes you may. You've worked hard today, Indypaw." she praised. "Now, here's a story my father, Jadestar, told me when I was a kit." she then explained to the kits and Indypaw. The white kit looked concerned.  
>"Is it about how Dawnclan began again? I've heard that one <em>so<em> many times." she grumbled, shuffling her paws.  
>"No, a very different story to that one, Mistykit." Dewstar went on. The kits began to lean in closer, eager to hear what she had to say. "This story is about love, friendship and family..."<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Valorclaw blinked open his eyes. A faint light was streaming through the holes in the Warrior's den, and the meows of cats outside told him it was sunhigh. Parting his jaws in a gaping yawn, he stood up and shook off the moss clinging to his pelt then carefully picked his way past his mate, Whispersong and outside. He could smell that frost and rain was on the way, Leafbare was soon arriving. The clearing was brighter than usual; leaves with shades of reds, browns, oranges and yellows clustered in corners and plastered themselves to the floor. He glanced at the fresh-kill pile, which was pitifully small, and trotted to the entrance of the camp. The pile needed to be well stocked ready for the harsh Leafbare ahead. As he neared the opening in the ferns, he spotted Thistlefire stood watch over by the entrance.  
>"Hi, Thistlefire. I'm going hunting, the pile looks a bit small today." he meowed, passing through the flattened ferns. Thistlefire turned his sleek grey head towards him.<br>"Sure, you'll be lucky to find a mouse or two in Leaffall though. All these leaves are making it impossible to walk around without making a single noise!" the grey tom meowed back. Valorclaw smiled.  
>"I'm sure there'll be something out today. Tell Whispersong I'll bring her something nice for us to share!" he called over his shoulder, bounding away into the forest.<br>"Will do!" Thistlefire's voice faded away as the camp disappeared from his sight. Sniffing the air, he slackened his pace and carefully placed each paw on the ground-trying not to frighten away any prey nearby. Something scuttled across the ground near a bramble bush. A small vole was scrabbling away at the ground, oblivious to Valorclaw entirely. Slowly, he creeped towards it, all of his senses alert. Stepping lightly, he cornered the creature and paused for a moment. A heartbeat later, he leaped, kicking up leaves and dirt as he sprang. He landed squarely on the mouse, and killed it with a blow to the neck. The warmth and delicious smell of fresh-kill made him want to eat the mouse straight away, but he knew he must feed his clan first. He quickly buried it under the bramble bush and turned to hunt for more. As time went by, he had caught another skinny vole and surprisingly a large pigeon, but accidentally let a plump mouse escape through his claws. He returned to camp with his jaws full of prey.  
>"Hey! Nice catch!" Thistlefire exclaimed as he padded through the entrance to the camp. Valorclaw gave him a thankful nod then dropped his prey on the fresh-kill pile. He picked up the pigeon and settled down under a beech tree to wait for his mate. The sun had sunk into the horizon and painted the sky with pink and orange.<br>"Hey." a voice sounded from behind him. A pretty she-cat with a browny-grey coat appeared from behind the beech tree. Her tail striped with darker fur, and her eyes as green as clovers. Valorclaw's eyes lit up in delight. "Hi! I brought us this." he nudged the pigeon towards her politely. Whispersong smiled and settled down next to him, their pelts brushing affectionately.  
>"You're such a good hunter, you know that?" she meowed happily between mouthfuls of pigeon. Valorclaw grinned.<br>"Well, I guess it runs through the family; my father was a good hunter too back when he was young." he turned his head to survey the camp and spotted the kits from the nursery tumbling around play fighting.  
>"Hey... have you thought about having kits? I mean, we have been together for a while now." he asked nervously while shuffling his paws. Whispersong looked at him with gentle eyes.<br>"That would be great. I-I hoped you would ask at some point..." she replied blushing. Valorclaw nuzzled his mate happily. A grey cat by the elders den was watching the couple closely, frowning unhappily at times. Valorclaw noticed him watching, and excused himself from his meal to sit with the elder.  
>"What is it, Rockstripe?" he asked the elder curiously.<br>"_Her_." Rockstripe grumbled nodding towards Whispersong who was busy munching on the pigeon. "You cannot have kits with that half clan cat. Our family has been true Dawnclan blood ever since Dawnclan began. I'm not going to let you break that tradition." he added sternly. Valorclaw looked outraged.  
>"But father! Whispersong is a great cat! She's kind, loyal and I'm sure she'd be a great mother. Just because her parents were Rogue and Dawnclan doesn't mean she's any different from the rest of us!" he protested angrily. Rockstripe growled.<br>"Listen here, you will find a different mate with pure Dawnclan blood, otherwise I will officially denounce you as my son. I shall _NOT_ have this intolerance!" he snarled at his son. Valorclaw opened his mouth to protest again, but paused and closed it, lowering his ears and tail in defeat.  
>"Yes father." he obeyed reluctantly, looking at his paws. Rockstripe nodded and rested his head on his paws to sleep. Valorclaw trudged back to Whispersong to finish his meal.<br>"What was that about?" she asked licking her whiskers clean.  
>"Nothing important. Listen, I'm pretty tired after todays hunt and I'll be getting up early for dawn patrol tomorrow, I'm going to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." he made up an excuse to avoid talking to her about the conversation he just had. Whispersong blinked.<br>"Oh, ok. Have a nice snooze." she purred licking his cheek. He didn't return her gesture, and padded into the Warrior's den. He curled up in his usual spot and tucked his tail up to his nose. _This'll all work out, somehow..._ he thought to himself. Sighing, he closed his eyes and dropped into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A moon had passed since Rockstripe demanded Valorclaw find a new mate, yet he still hadn't told Whispersong. His fathers words echoed through his mind all the time, and he purposely avoided her through out the day. Whispersong grew confused and worried, she could tell something was bothering her mate. Frost settled on the colorful leaves in the clearing now, it was getting colder each day. The sun was dim as Whispersong padded outside the Warrior's den. Scanning the clearing for any sign of Valorclaw, she sighed and trudged over to her favorite spot in the camp; the beech tree where she used to share her meals with Valorclaw everyday. The tree was bare now, its leaves carpeted the ground beneath it. She sat and waited for Valorclaw to return from his personal hunting trip.  
>The sun was slowly sinking by the time he returned with a small chaffinch and a mouse. He dropped the chaffinch at Whispersong's paws and turned to leave.<br>"Wait! What's wrong with you lately?" Whispersong blurted out, jumping up. Valorclaw looked up at her with sad eyes.  
>"Just a bit of a bellyache, but it's nothing..." he quickly invented. She didn't believe him.<br>"You can tell me, you know? I'm your mate. I'll listen to whatever you have to tell me." she persued eagerly. She didn't like her mate telling her lies.  
>"I told you I'm fine!" he replied and dashed off before she could say anything else.<br>Angrily, she ate the chaffinch then stood up. The sun was still up, it wasn't too late to go hunting. She trotted out of the camp and into the woods beyond.

Valorclaw wondered through the forest, angry with himself for snapping at Whispersong. He couldn't bare to tell her what Rockstripe told him, it'd break her heart. His paws took him to the north side of the forest where he rarely ever hunted. The trees were bare further this way, and the wind blew the leaves into the air then back down again. Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from in front of him. Valorclaw sniffed the air but there was no scent of an intruder. The sound came again, followed by a sudden stop. He froze, wondering if it was a squirrel digging up it's supplies for Leafbare. Less than a heartbeat later a cat flew out of the bushes behind him and crashed into Valorclaw with a yowl. The stranger bowled him over and pinned him to the ground on this back. Valorclaw opened his eyes and blinked. Staring down at him with both paws on his shoulders was a beautiful she-cat with grey fur that looked slightly pink in the sunlight. Her eyes were a shining teal color and their gazes locked for a moment. In that single moment, time seemed to have stopped between them. He was glued to the spot, his limbs unable to move. The she-cats eyes were round and captivating, Valorclaw couldn't stop staring. It was the she-cat who broke the connection and looked away.  
>"Oh I-I'm really sorry! I thought you were a rogue or something..." she stammered nervously. The she-cat jumped off him to allow him to stand back up.<br>"I-it's ok, you just shocked me a little. Nice leap by the way. What's your name?" he asked, smiling.  
>"Thanks. My name is Lilyheart." she then replied blushing.<br>"I'm Valorclaw. I haven't seen you around camp before."  
>"Oh I've only been a warrior for a moon." Lilyheart answered. She turned and noticed a scratch was bleeding on his shoulder.<br>"You're bleeding! I'm so sorry, let me help you." she fretted, lapping at the blood. Valorclaw winced as her rough tongue ran over his wound.  
>"It's not too deep, but you'll need to get it treated as soon as possible. It can get infected." she meowed between licks. Valorclaw nodded. She let him lean against her as they plodded back into camp. In the medicine cat den, Valorclaw was laid in a nest with some strange smelling herbs plastered on his shoulder wound.<br>"Thanks Hailcloud. It feels much better now." he thanked the medicine cat. Hailcloud smiled with acknowledgement.  
>"No problem. You can go now, but come straight back if it starts bleeding again." he nodded then went outside. Lilyheart was waiting patiently.<br>"I'm fine now, thanks for helping me back." he meowed thankfully.  
>"I'm glad you're ok." Lilyheart sighed with relief. "Um, do you want to share this squirrel I caught today?" she added hastily, nudging a squirrel on the ground.<br>"Sure!" Valorclaw replied quickly. The two settled beside the fresh-kill pile with the squirrel between them, eating happily.

Whispersong trotted back to camp with a large rabbit. A perfect meal to share with Valorclaw while discussing his worries and problems. As she approached the fresh-kill pile, she spotted Valorclaw sat with another she-cat. Frightened and angry, she dumped her kill on the pile and stomped up to Valorclaw. The way the two sat together made her uneasy.  
>"I caught a rabbit for you, but it seems you've already eaten." she gulped down her anger. Lilyheart looked up at her with curiosity.<br>"Hi there, why don't you eat with us?" she asked politely. Whispersong was starving after her hunt, but she resisted the tasty looking squirrel.  
>"No thanks. Can I have a word with Valorclaw?" she smiled innocently at them both.<br>"Sure, excuse me Lilyheart." Valorclaw answered getting to his paws. Without a word, the two padded to the back of the medicine cat den where no one could overhear their conversation. Whispersong rounded on him.  
>"Who's that?" she meowed as innocently as she could. Valorclaw shuffled his paws.<br>"Just another warrior who wanted to share their squirrel with me. Why are you making such a big deal about it?" he snapped angrily.  
>"I saw you! Both of you in the forest today! Do you really love me, Valorclaw?" she hissed back through clenched teeth.<br>"Of course I do!" Valorclaw replied astonished.  
>"It doesn't look like it to me. You've been avoiding me for over a moon now, you won't tell me what's wrong, you're lieing to me everyday, and now you're hanging around with other she-cats!" she blurted out, panting heavily now. Valorclaw went silent and daren't look up at Whispersong.<br>"I'm fed-up with this now, Valorclaw. You can have you're pretty Lilyheart! I hope you're happy." she shouted furiously at him. Valorclaw opened his mouth to answer back, but Whispersong had already stormed off to the other side of the clearing. Sadly, he traipsed back to Lilyheart who had finished the remains of the squirrel.  
>Whispersong ate her rabbit alone at the edge of the clearing, ignoring the questioning eyes looking towards her from around the camp. Once she had finished, she groomed her pelt then padded into the Warrior's den to sleep. She chose a nest at the back of the den, furthest away from Valorclaw's usual spot, and settled down to sleep. <em>I have absolutely no regrets about today.<em> She told herself, somehow she doubted her own words. She closed her eyes and let sleep wash over her.


	4. Chapter 4

The following day, Whispersong avoided Valorclaw as much as she could. She went hunting all day, and came back at dawn to eat. The beech tree was now taken by Valorclaw and Lilyheart, so Whispersong ate by the elders den where she had a perfect view of the tree. Rockstripe was now sat with them. She strained her ears to listen to their conversation.  
>"You're a fine hunter, I see." Rockstripe praised Lilyheart who blushed in embarrassment.<br>"And I'm sure you'll be a fine mother in time." he continued, smiling at his son.  
>Valorclaw looked delighted at his words.<br>"Not that we're planning any just yet." Valorclaw meowed purring.  
>"I wish you both well for the future." Rockstripe dipped his head and left.<br>Whispersong froze, this meant Valorclaw was now mates with Lilyheart. Something bubbled inside her and made her neck fur bristle. A strange feeling which she couldn't put a name to. She shook the feeling away and looked back at Valorclaw. He was nuzzling Lilyheart happily while she groomed his neck fur. Whispersong sighed. She remembered the days when they would nuzzle each other, laugh and eat together. As she looked at Lilyheart, a growl escaped from her throat.  
>Am I jealous of her? she asked herself. Pushing the thought away, she stood up and wondered out of camp, ignoring the questioning look from Thistlefire guarding the entrance. Her paws took her to the stream at the centre of the territory where the water meandered left and into Duskclan territory. Carefully, she crouched down and lapped up the icy cold water. Her thirst satisfied, she sat back and stared into the river. Her reflection looked twisted and broken in the tumbling water. She imagined Valorclaw sat next to her, his reflection perfect and looking at her with loving eyes. Whispersong looked back at the imaginary figure with longing. Instantly, she realized. Leaving Valorclaw was a mistake, she still loved him with all her heart. Valorclaw wouldn't have left her for Lilyheart, he was the most loyal cat in the clan.<br>"But it's too late now!" she wailed sadly. Tears rolled off her whiskers and dripped into the river, making Valorclaw's imaginary reflection disappear. "Oh what have I done?" she stopped and crouched lower to the ground, shaking with grief. "But i-it wasn't my fault, it was her!" she yowled at an imaginary reflection of Lilyheart, leaping at it with claws unsheathed. She landed in the lake, panting heavily with fury. She looked down at her paws, hidden by the current of the water. Realizing where she was, she leaped onto the bank to shake the water from her pelt vigorously before turning back to the river once more.  
>"You'll be mine again one day, Valorclaw. I promise." She murmured to herself. Her muscles still tense and eyes glaring, she disappeared into the bushes.<p>

Valorclaw looked up from his meal. He noticed Whispersong had disappeared after seeing her just moments ago. He scanned the camp from where he was sat.  
>"Where's Whispersong gone?" he asked aloud. Lilyheart frowned.<br>"No idea. Why are you so worried about her all the time?" she asked curiously.  
>"I'm not worried about her, I'm just wondering." he replied back uncertainly.<br>"What happened to you two? Weren't you best friends or something?" Lilyheart guessed.  
>"Not friends... we were mates. She left me because... because I hung around with you a lot." he carefully picked the right words. Lilyheart looked shocked.<br>"Oh I'm so sorry! I had no idea, I-I thought you were just friends." she meowed, astonished. Valorclaw shook his head.  
>"It doesn't matter, I had to leave her anyway. Father wouldn't let me have a family with her." he murmured. Lilyheart's gaze softened.<br>"Do you still love her?" she broke the silence. Valorclaw whipped his head round to face her. Taking a deep breath, he looked into her eyes.  
>"No." he answered.<br>"It's alright if you do, I don't want you to live unhappy." Lilyheart pursued.  
>"I only love you, Lilyheart." he purred.<br>"I love you too." The two spent the rest of their evening under the beech tree, gossiping about the future adventures they would have together. As the night drew in, all the cats in the camp retreated to their dens for the night. The last to snuggle up in her nest was Whispersong. She ignored Valorclaw's gaze and curled up in her nest, tucking her paws underneath her. She breathed in the sweet scent of Valorclaw drifting through the den before closing her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

After two moons, Leafbare had finally settled upon the forest as white blankets draped the forest floor as far as the eye could see. Flakes drifted from the tree tops like leaves in the wind which carried the promise of more cold and bitter nights. Lilyheart plodded through the thick snow, her chin held high as she carried a plump pigeon in her jaws. She quietly entered the camp and spotted Valorclaw at once. Dropping her catch at his paws, Lilyheart sat back and began washing a forepaw. Valorclaw leaned forward to sniff at the bird hesitantly.  
>"Wow, I'm surprised you could find any prey in this weather!" he began pawing at the prey eagerly.<br>"Lucky I guess." Lilyheart shrugged. "You know those hunting techniques you showed me have really made an improvement!" she added purring.  
>"Do you want some? There's plenty here." Valorclaw smiled nudging the bird towards her. Lilyheart shook her head.<br>"No thanks, I've already eaten. You must be starving!"  
>Valorclaw nodded in respect. His belly growled in agreement as he bent his head to take a bite. He ate the bird hungrily and sat back to watch Lilyheart finish grooming herself.<br>"Best fresh-kill in moons." he murmured, praising his mate. Lilyheart smiled back at him, then quickly turned to face Eaglestrike the deputy as she sensed him heading towards them. He had long, powerful hind legs with a murky brown tabby pelt. His broad muzzle was lighter than his pelt, and he was clearly a strong warrior. He paced towards Valorclaw and Lilyheart with grace then dipped his head in greeting.  
>"You are both needed for border patrol today, we leave now." he meowed firmly. Valorclaw nodded.<br>"We're ready." he answered simply. Lilyheart got to her paws and stiffly followed Eaglestrike to the camp entrance where the rest of the patrol consisting of Thistlefire, Timberfang and Foxwhisker was waiting. Eaglestrike gave the signal with a flick of his tail and led the patrol out of camp. They traveled across Dawnclan territory, eventually meeting the stream at the centre. It was frozen solid now, and Valorclaw had expected to hear the sound of rushing water and birds chirping. Instead, he was met with silence. The patrol headed onwards upstream with the river where it turned left into Duskclan territory. They came to an abrupt halt as they met the border. Eaglestrike was frowning at something up ahead.  
>"Duskclan patrol." he warned quietly. No sooner did their patrol emerge from the bushes on the other side of the border and stood glaring at the Dawnclan cats, pelts bristling.<br>"Dawnclan thieves!" hissed Tawnypaw, a small white, orange and grey apprentice. A larger tom stepped forward from the group to face Eaglestrike, their whiskers almost touching. He had strong muscles under his russet coloured pelt, a white muzzle and bright glowing yellow eyes. He snarled as he unsheathed his claws. Thistlefire did the same, but was silenced by a wave of Eaglestrike's tail.  
>"Come to take <em>more<em> prey from us?" Snakefang mocked, glaring at the patrol opposite. Eaglestrike matched his gaze.  
>"We have stolen nothing from you." he replied coolly, raising his chin in defiance.<br>"You have no proof!" Valorclaw spoke up, angry at the accusation. A black Duskclan tom with one white left paw dived into a nearby bush and returned a moment later with the feathers of a thrush clamped in his jaws. He set them down on Dawnclan's side of the border then backed away.  
>"Ravenwing found <em>THIS<em> on our territory! It has your stench all over it!" Snakefang spat at Eaglestrike who bent down to sniff the feathers. He inhaled the scent, then sat back with a sigh.  
>"It seems what they are saying is true. I assure you, this will not happen again." he apologized reluctantly. Snakefang snorted in disgust.<br>"It's happened more than once. We've found remains of squirrel and rabbit too, all covered in your scent! Prey on our territory belongs to Duskclan. If we find more prey being stolen, then we'll rip you to shreds!" Snakefang snarled at the Dawnclan patrol, the cats from Duskclan yowled in agreement before turning and marching back into the heart of their territory.  
>"What a bunch of fox-hearts!" Foxwhisker snorted angrily. The patrol marked the border, then trekked back towards camp.<br>"Everyone know Duskclan are always looking for a fight. The feathers could have been on our territory and just have blown across the border." Timberfang, a dusky brown tom commented after a moments pause.  
>"That's true, but we must tell Thornstar about this. Duskclan are always serious when it comes to battle, they could invade at any minute and we'd be powerless." Eaglestrike warned carefully as he led them back downstream. Valorclaw nodded and slowed down to let Lilyheart keep up. "We'll show them." he purred as he rubbed his head against her cheek affectionately. She returned the gesture and followed Eaglestrike back to camp. The sun had appeared and melted the snow, leaving patches of white every now and then. Dark clouds loomed in the distance, leaving promise of more snow and rain.<p>

After three sunrises the stream had thawed in places, leaving blocks of ice racing down the stream of icy cold water. Whispersong sat at the waters edge, watching as the broken pieces of ice clotted up behind a large frozen rock.  
>"Oh Valorclaw, what can I do to get you back? Maybe I should apologize... no, no. He'll just storm off with that fancy Lilyheart again." she dug her claws into the frosty grass.<br>"If I could just get rid of her... I could set a trap an-and... kill her!" the thought seemed so perfect, Lilyheart would be gone for good. But Whispersong finally shook her head.  
>"No... I couldn't kill a cat from my own clan, could I?" Suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves and the crunching of snow behind her. Whispersong whipped round, then darted immediately under a bramble thicket, concealing her pelt. A heartbeat later, Lilyheart padded out of the undergrowth. She looked around nervously, then followed the river bend upstream quietly.<br>_What's she doing here?_ Whispersong asked herself. She carefully creeped out of her hiding place and followed Lilyheart upstream, keeping to the shadows and making no noise. At last Lilyheart stopped. Whispersong watched in disgust as she rolled in some animal dung, then quickly got up and carried on walking. Whispersong sniffed the air, instantly recognizing the foul scent.  
><em>She's on Duskclan territory!<em> She watched as Lilyheart crouched down, then leaped elegantly through the air. Whispersong stared in shock as Lilyheart picked up the dead mouse, and carried it safely back onto Dawnclan territory. Her emotions changed as an idea suddenly came to her. Slowly, she drew back her lips baring her sharp teeth in a wide, evil grin.  
><em>Perfect.<em>


End file.
